Shoulder patting instrument

Abstract

An instrument for giving patting treatment to a user's shoulder or the like body part to promote blood circulation in stiffened muscle. In a housing of the instrument's body having an aperture, stationary electromagnet part defining an axial space is fixed aligning the space with the housing aperture and freely movable plunger is disposed to extend in the axial space so that, as electromagnetically attracted at an end inside the housing to a magnetized core end due to energization of coil of the stationary electromagnet part, the plunger extracts out of the housing with the other end located in the housing aperture and having a treating attachment with which the instrument is butted to the body part substantially vertically with its weight applying to the latter through the attachment, so as to raise the instrument's body relatively upward and, upon de-energization of the coil, the instrument's body falls down to hit upon the attachment to give the patting treatment to the body part. Continuous supply of intermittent source current to the coil performs continuous pattings.

What we claim as our invention is: 
     
       1. In a shoulder patting instrument, the combination comprising a housing having an aperture formed therein and including a handle on one side thereof, an electromagnet having a relatively weighty stator and coil stationarily mounted within the housing and having a relatively lighter movable armature cooperating therewith movable between a retracted position and an energized position, a plunger fixed to the armature and generally centered with respect to the aperture in the housing, a pad on the end of the plunger projecting outwardly of the housing for pressing against a body surface upon guidance by the handle, means for applying pulses of current intermittently to the coil, the electromagnet being oriented so that when a pulse of current is applied to the coil the armature is attracted by the stator for thrusting of the plunger relatively outwardly with respect to the housing so that the housing and weighty stator are thrust relatively away from the body surface, the inertia of the stator and housing providing a reaction force which is applied by the plunger to the body in the form of a pat, the plunger being free upon cessation of current to return to its retracted position resulting in a slight bouncing movement of the stator and housing with respect to the body surface, resilient means interposed between the stator and armature for cushioning the movement of the armature into its energized position, the handle being elongated and extending generally perpendicularly to the direction of plunger movement and having a grip portion at the end thereof for pressing the instrument lightly against the body surface while accommodating the slight bouncing movement of the housing. 
     
     
       2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the pad at the end of the plunger extends through the aperture in the housing and projects only a short distance from the housing when the armature is in its retracted position. 
     
     
       3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the armature carries a diaphragm spanning the inner walls of the housing and which is reciprocated axially back and forth upon movement of the armature for pumping of air inwardly and outwardly of the housing thereby to cool the electromagnet. 
     
     
       4. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which a pulse generator is provided having input terminals and output terminals, the input terminals being coupled to the AC supply line, the output terminals being connected to the coil, the pulse generator having means to generate pulses at a rate which is only a fraction of the frequency of the AC pulses on the supply line thereby permitting relatively long intermittent excursions of the armature.